The publishing industry distributes published material to consumers primarily through highly structured channels of distribution. For example, a “bulk” distribution channel is commonly referred to in the industry as a distribution outlet for large quantities of published material, such as retail stores, book stores, and book wholesalers whereas “library” distribution refers to distributing published material to various libraries, public and/or private. It should be added that in this application and the appended claims the term “published material” is defined as an authored work for distribution, such as books, magazines, newspapers, and multimedia publications, for example.
Illustratively, because each library collection is often unique, nearly every library maintains a specific format for cataloging books in the library. A library specific identification code is inserted on each item in the library for purposes of cataloging, as well as tracking, the availability and location of that item in the library system. Often a library identification code will feature a library specific classification code and a library specific identification code. The library specific classification code will include a numerical or alphabetical index of the item according to subject matter, author or title. On the other hand, the library specific inventory code typically features a numerical index indicating the relationship of one item to a number of identical items offered by that specific library.
For example, a copy of the book “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes is ordered by a library in Toledo, Ohio and in Toledo, Spain. The library in Ohio, already having two copies, may require a library identification code of “CSPNLIT 3”, with a library specific classification code of CSPNLIT signifying Spanish literature having an author beginning with the letter “C” and a library specific inventory code of 3 signifying that the new copy will be the third copy in that library. Alternatively, the Spanish library having 162 copies would require a library identification code of “FH 163p1” where the library specific classification code of FH represents the category of Historical Fiction and the library specific inventory code of 163p1 designating the item as the 163rd copy to be shelved on the second floor of the library.
Currently, library distributors obtain an item of published material from a publisher and insert a library specific identification code on that item according to each library's rules for identification. A book, for example, will receive a library specific identification code on its spine and on a few predetermined pages in the book. Library distributors ship a customized item for receipt by a library ready to be inventoried and shelved. Because libraries purchase published materials from library distributors, library distributors must be able to track every item of published material within each purchasing library.
Various technologies in today's computer-based information revolution offer a window of opportunity for library distributors as well as for publishing companies and libraries to streamline established practices in the industry, especially distributing published material. From inception of an authored work to distribution of a resulting item of published material, the computer-based information revolution makes available virtually all currently generated information, text, visual, and audio, in an electronic file or efile format. Information, once exclusively available in printed form, such as books and magazines, is now accessible on electronic devices such as computers, video displays, and handheld devices, for example. Therefore, continuing with the example, the library in Ohio can now provide patrons access to “Don Quixote” in traditional printed book form as well as downloaded in an efile format to either the library's electronic device or a library patron's electronic device. A library system, however, is still obligated to track an efile just as with printed materials. Unfortunately, there is currently no known means for inserting a library specific identification code on an efile.
Thus, as a matter of saving cost, labor, and time, there is a need in the art for providing an identification code for an electronic file containing published material with a structured procedure similar to that of existing library distributors.